A grant agreement has been signed by the European Union which will see €5m (US$5.4m) in grants being given to TECO 2030 for the HyEkoTank project under the Horizon Europe funding scheme.
The HyEkoTank project, which is scheduled to start in February 2023, will see an 18,600dwt product tanker being retrofitted by TECO 2030 with a 2.4MW fuel cell system and a 4,000kg compressed hydrogen storage system.
Demonstrations of the vessel will begin in 2024, with TECO 2030 aiming to show that the HyEkoTank hydrogen-powered tanker will be capable of delivering zero emissions at berth, in addition to a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions during operations.
The company believes the project could be a first mover in the maritime shipping sector by contributing to the stringent climate targets set out by the European Union.
“I am pleased with the tremendous efforts dedicated by all the consortium partners to this project; together we will show the world what fuel cells are capable of when retrofitting a product tanker for Ektank,” explained Tore Enger, Group CEO, TECO 2030. “I am grateful to the EU who wants to assist us in realizing a retrofit fuel cell project for reducing and eliminating emissions along the European coastlines.”
“Shell is proud to be a part of this fuel cell project, which aims to demonstrate the viability of hydrogen as a zero-carbon fuel for the maritime sector,” commented Carl Henrickson, general manager of technology, innovation and digitalization, Shell Shipping and Maritime. “Our target is to be a net zero emissions energy business by 2050 and to accelerate this transition we are partnering with customers and businesses from across the sectors. Shell will purchase the fuel cell system and provide the renewable hydrogen to power this pioneering project as we continue to drive innovation to deliver the cleaner energy solutions that our customers need.”